Udupi : Bhatkal town observed a partial bandh on March 16 as some traders did not open their establishments to express their dissatisfaction with the verdict of the Karnataka High Court in the hijab case.

According to reports reaching Mangaluru, some shops on the Udupi-Karwar National Highway 66, Bombay Bazaar, Chor Bazaar and other areas remained shut.

As soon as the High Court delivered its verdict on March 15, some traders in Bhatkal had shut their shops.

At a media conference in the town on March 15, Majlis-e-Islah-wa-Tanzeem, a prominent socio-political organisation of Muslims in Bhaktal, had announced that it would close down its office and stop all its activities on March 16 as it was not happy with the verdict. Its decision was intended to express solidarity with the petitioners in the case filed in the High Court.

It did not call for a bandh on March 16, saying it was up to traders to take a call to express solidarity with the petitioners.

Majlis-e-Islah-wa-Tanzeem president S M Parvez said the organisation plans to take up the matter with the Muslim Personal Law Board and challenge the verdict of the High Court in the Supreme Court.

Security has been beefed up in the town and prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were in place to prevent any untoward incident.